Custom Knits 2: More Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques Hardcover – October 1, 2011

I have Wendy's first book and totally LOVE it!! I have been waiting anxiously ever since for her second book to arrive.I love knitting books that empower me as a knitter and this one does just that! Whether it's knowing how to take someone else's pattern that I like and alter it to fit me and tweak it here or there or to be able to take yarn in hand and create something wonderful that fits the way I want it to and looks the way I want to is a skill I feel is essential in the process of being happy with my finished project. Wendy's first book started me off in the right direction. Her second book just loaded me up with many more tips, tricks and techniques to truly make it my own.I LOVE the top down seamless philosphy of knitting. It just makes so much sense. Custom Knits 2 contains so much information as to why and, more importantly, HOW to take a sweater, turn it on it's head and work from the top down. Wendy even includes information on how to convert a bottom up pieced sweater into a top down seamless sweater!! Something I am sure I will use often!It is really important to be able to understand what we need to do to get our knits to fit the way we want them to. Otherwise, why even bother knitting garments? No matter how well written a pattern is, there is no such thing as one size fits all. We are all different sizes and even if we have the same measurements around our bodies as the pattern calls for, we might be longer or shorter vertically. Or our bust might match the pattern size, but our hips are a completly different size than the pattern was written for. Wendy takes all this into consideration and gives us the tools we need in this book to be able to make the kinds of changes we want to in our knitting whether we are working from someone else's pattern or coming up with our own. There is also information on how to size patterns up or down, bigger or smaller than what the original pattern gives us. How do we take a childs garment that we love and make it big enough to fit an adult. How do we take an adult sized sweater and make it small enough to fit a child. Or a change a pattern meant to be for a man into something for a woman? or vice versa? It's all here!I really like the way this book is laid out. Wendy presents a couple of techniques and then gives several "real world" examples that implement them. There are 25 new patterns here!! Every pattern includes a "make it your own" area that gives ideas on how to tweak and change certain elements, ie add sleeves or subtract them, add a hood, change the neckline, etc, to get creative juices flowing. There really is an umlimited supply of patterns and ideas here!

I loved the first Custom Knit book. I went out and bought it twice when I lost it. This one was very good and the products were fun to look at, but I haven't tried to make any yet, because none of them caught my eye when I flipped through it. There were more than four that I wanted to do right away in the first book.In short, I like the book, but it isn't my top ten of knitting books.

Ordered both of Wendy Bernard's Custom Knit books. Love them! As a knitter who's serious about creating wearable, enduring garments that REALLY fit, I currently have nothing even close in my library to these resources. Boost your knitting knowledge and confidence. Give yourself the gift of being able to express your personal creativity through modding patterns. Enjoy Wendy's beautiful patterns and learn from her excellent tips. Absolutely recommend!

Very beautiful book seller has neat and clean books better than new one no regrets for buying must purchase from this seller in future.

Wendy has done it again although this time she's encouraging us to go a little more off piste. Her first book was a great collection of inspiring top down knitting. Easy to follow patterns and ideas to make it your own design. The second book she has given more information on her process so that knitters can create their own look and fit. Having said this, it is still easy to follow and the patterns are just as great as the first book. A winner!

Lots of great info concerning customizing options and how tos. However, I wouldn't choose this if it's patterns you're after.

I just received this book yesterday and I want to make everything in it. It has the same great designs we have come to expect from Wendy and all types of ways to make it your own. Even coverting adult patterns to children sizes as well as the other way around. Lovely photos and fantastic tips. If you love Wendy's designs or top down knitting, this is a must!

Its all right. Really didn't see any patterns I would like to try.Will have to read more to say anymore. Sorry.

Not as complete as custom knit 1 fir the designs provided but techniques well explained for learner knitters to customise the clothes

Dieses Buch zeigt einem von Grund auf, wie ein Kleidungsstück aufgebaut wird, wie man eine Vorlage ändert, oder sogar eine selber entwirft. Die Methode von oben nach unten zu stricken gibt einem dabei die Möglichkeit, während den Strickens anzuprobieren und Anpassungen vorzunehmen. Damit entfällt auch das nervige Zusammennähen eines in Einzelteilen gefertigten Kleidungsstückes.Als erfahrene Strickerin habe ich hier gelernt, wie man Schnitte auf einen nicht-Konfektions-Körper anpasst (und das sind ja wohl die meisten von uns), Details ändert (wie Halsausschnitt, Kapuze, Ärmel etc) und/oder das Ganze auf eine andere Garndicke und andere Maschenprobe anpasst. Mehr braucht man wirklich niemals, da braucht man noch nicht einmal eine Vorlage mehr, denn man kann theoretisch alles selber nachkonstruieren.Ich habe den ersten Band nicht (Custom Knits 1) und die beiden Bücher scheinen nicht aufeinander aufzubauen.

This book would rate five stars just for the technical information alone! After years of producing sweaters that didn't fit, I determined that I would have to learn to knit from the top down so I could try on my creations as I was knitting them. Unfortunately, I encountered a number of logistical difficulties that I did not anticipate while trying to convert standard patterns into top-down patterns. I was desperate for help, and thank goodness I found this book: it was like Wendy Bernard had read my mind ;-)Burning questions that Wendy has answered in this book include:-- how to convert bottom-up pieced patterns to in-the-round top-down patterns (this includes how to deal with upside-down stitch patterns, which is a huge issue for me as I love cables)-- how to secure stitches to you can try on that sweater-- estimating how much more yarn you will need to make modifications to a pattern like adding sleeves or a hood-- how to add bust darts and waist shaping to your chosen pattern so your sweater will actually fit and flatter-- how to add sleeves, hoods and false seams to your chosen pattern-- how to upsize or downsize any pattern-- how to deal with substituting yarnsThere is also a section on how to customize raglan patterns, though I can't judge this part since I have only knit set-in sleeve patterns so far.In addition to all of this valuable technical information, there are more than a dozen beautiful fully-adjustable patterns, plus a section on how to design your own sweater. I can't recommend this book enough!

英語が読めなくとも、ある程度編み物の知識と経験があれば大体のところは理解できる内容です。が！　ほかの編み物本との大きな違いは掲載されている作品がすべてトップダウン方式で編まれていること。ネックから編むやり方で、最近新たな本が日本でも出版されているが、この方式のもっとも大きな特徴は【とじ・はぎがない】ことだろう。ラウンドネックやタートル・ハイネックなど前後差のないネックラインのラグランスリーブ、もしくは丸ヨークは比較的簡単に想像が付くが、この本はセットアップスリーブの作品のほうがずっと多い。その辺りの方法は英語を読解する必要があるが、少し考えても、書くパーツを別々に作ってあとでとじ合わせる従来の方法よりも、セーターやカーディガンなどの大物を編むときのハードルはぐッと低くなるはずだ。何しろ、【各パーツごとに手が変わって出来上がりサイズが違う】という現象は絶対起きないのだから（笑）

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